an inspector calls ultimate.doc

An Inspector Calls - Revision GameDevised by Deborah Owen from the Ethnic Minority Pupil Service in East Sussex.The webaddress for this activity is:http://www.collaborativelearning.org/inspectorcalls.pdfLast updated 13th December 2006COLLABORATIVE LEARNING PROJECTProject Director: Stuart ScottSupporting a cooperative network of teaching professionals throughout the European Union to develop and disseminate accessible teaching materials in all subject areas and for all ages.17, Barford Street, Islington, London N1 0QB UK Phone: 0044 (0)20 7226 8885 Website: http://www.collaborativelearning.orgBRIEF SUMMARY OF BASIC PRINCIPLES BEHIND OUR TEACHING ACTIVITIES:The project is a teacher network, and a non-profit making educational trust. Our main aim is to develop and disseminate classroom tested examples of effective group strategies across all phases and subjects. We hope they will inspire you to develop and use similar strategies in other topics and curriculum areas. We want to encourage you to change them and adapt them to your classroom and students. We run teacher workshops, swapshops and conferences throughout the European Union. The project posts online many activities in all subject areas. A newsletter “PAPERCLIP’ is also updated regularly.*These activities were influenced by current thinking about the role of language in learning. They are designed to help children learn through talk and active learning in small groups. They work best in non selective classes where children in need of language or learning support are integrated. They are well suited for the development of speaking and listening . They provide teachers opportunities for assessment of speaking and listening and other formative assessment.*They support differentiation by placing a high value on what children can offer to each other on a particular topic, and also give children the chance to respect each other’s views and formulate shared opinions which they can disseminate to peers. By helping them to take ideas and abstract concepts, discuss, paraphrase and move them about physically, they help to develop thinking skills.*They give children the opportunity to participate in their own words and language in their own time without pressure. Many activities can be tried out in mother tongue and afterwards in English. A growing number of activities are available in more than one language, not trans-lated, but mixed, so that you may need more than one language to complete the activity.*They encourage study skills in context, and should therefore be used with a range of appropriate information books which are preferably within reach in the classroom.*They are generally adaptable over a wide age range because children can bring their own knowledge to an activity and refer to books at an appropriate level. The activities work like catalysts.*All project activities were planned and developed by teachers working together, and the main reason they are disseminated is to encourage teachers to work effectively with each other inside and outside the classroom. They have made it possible for mainstream and language and learning support teachers to share an equal role in curriculum delivery. They should be adapted to local conditions. In order to help us keep pace with curriculum changes, please send any new or revised activities back to the project, so that we can add them to our lists of materials.

Page 2http://www.collaborativelearning.org/inspectorcalls.pdf

An Inspector Calls - Revision GameHow to make up the activity.Deb used a large blank die (popular for games in KS1) onto which she stuck two smiley faces (to go first and to put any card on the board), coloured blobs (for characteristics, quotes and actions) and an arrow (for giving a card to another player). We've adapted this online version which does not print in colour, and can therefore be photocopied, to use black and white shapes which you can stick on your blank die 1. Print one copy of each sheet.2. Enlarge the game board to A3 and laminate.3. Laminate characteristics, actions and quotes cards and cut up. If the page numbers on the quotes cards don't correspond to your edition of the book either delete or change them.4. Stick the shapes etc below onto a blank die.

There is no answer sheet provided in the activity. You might want to persuade your pupils to make one up for you!


An Inspector Calls - The GameThe Game Pack includes: an A3 blank grid board, 36 characteristics cards, 16 quotes cards, 16 actions cards, a special die and answer sheets.How to play1. Place all the cards face down on the table. Decide how many are playing.2. Four players pick 8 cards each. Five players pick 7 cards each. Six players pick 6 cards each.3. First player to throw a smiley face goes first.4. Throw a triangle to lay a Quotes card in a correct place on the board.Throw a star to lay an Actions card in the correct place.Throw a crescent to lay a Characteristics in the correct place.Throw an arrow to give one of your cards to another player.Throw a smiley face to lay any of your cards in the correct place.5. If anyone thinks a card may be in the wrong place, check answers. If player is wrong he/she takes the card back.

6. The winner is the first player to place all their cards on the board.


BirlingMrs Birling SheilaEricGeraldInspectorGooleCharacteristicsQuotesActions

Inspector Calls Revision Game BoardPage 5

http://www.collaborativelearning.org/inspectorcalls.pdf

Showed photos, but didn't let everybody see them at the same time.Sacked Eva for leading a strike.Got angry because she thought Eva laughed at her.Found somewhere for Daisy to live and gave her some money.Refused to give the girl any money from the charity.Felt very bad about what she did to Eva.Helped Daisy to get

away from Alderman Meggarty.Slept with Daisy and she became pregnant.Stole money from Birling's office to give to Daisy.Questioned each of the family in turn.Refused to admit any responsibility for Eva's death.Saw the engagement of Sheila to Gerald as good business.Drank a lot throughout the evening.Though the father of the girl's baby should be responsible.Telephoned the hospital - there was no girl who had committed suicide.Tried to make everyone realise that they had contributed to the girl's death.Actions cards


"She was giving herself ridulous airs. She was claiming fine feeling and scruples that were simply absurd in a girl in her position." p.46"Your engagement to Sheila means a

tremendous amount to me." p.4"I caught sight of this girl smiling at Miss Francis - as if to say: Doesn't she look awful? - and I was absolutely furious." p.24"She was a good-look-ing girl - country-bred I fancy....A good worker." p.14"She'd impertinently made use of our name, though she pretended afterwards that it was the first name she thought of." p.44"I was sorry for her, and didn't like the fact of her going back to the Palace bar. I didn't ask for anything else in return." p.37"She told me she thought she was going to have a baby." p53"A nice little promising life there, I thought, and a nasty mess somebody's made of it." p.21"The girl saw me looking at her and then gave me a glance that was nothing less than a cry for help." p.35

"Could I have a drink first?" p.51"If he refused to marry her ....then he must at least support her." p.46"You'll be able to divide the responsibility between you when I'm gone." p.54"A girl died tonight. A pretty, lively sort of girl who never did anyone any harm." p.28"One Eva Smith has gone, but there are millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths still left with us." p.56"She'd had a lot to say - far too much - so she'd had to go." p.57"I behaved badly too. I know I did. I'm ashamed of it." p.57Quotes cards


prosperous/richheavymid 50spompousabout 50prettyearly 20searly 20s

unsophisticatedpleased with lifeattractivearound 30not at ease/awkwarda bullyhalf shy/half assertivecold/unfeelingsocially correct self-importantout of touch with real lifelivelya bad tempered shopperlater repentant and caringimmaturethoughtlessselfishCharacteristics cards


has problemswith drinka thief

self-assuredimposingsombrewell-mannereda businessmanchivalrous but morally weakdeterminedcalmmysteriousCharacteristics cards

This is the html version of the file http://www.shawfest.com/assets/08PDF/Inspector_Calls_Study_Guide.pdf.Google automatically generates html versions of documents as we crawl the web.

Page 1

An Inspector Calls The Shaw Story 2 The Players 3 The Story 4 Who’s Who 5 The Playwright 6-7 Director’s Notes 8 Designer’s Notes 9 Production History 10 World of the Play 11-15 Did You Know? 16 Say What? 17 Sources 18 Activities 18-29

http://www.shawfest.com/assets/08PDF/Inspector_Calls_Study_Guide.pdf

Response Sheet 30 by

J.B. Priestley

C ONNECTIONS Shaw Festival Study Guide

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THE SHAW STORY MANDATE The Shaw Festival is the only theatre in the world which exclusively focuses on playsby Bernard Shaw and his contemporaries, including plays written or about the periodof Shaw’s lifetime (1856 – 1950).The Shaw Festival’s mandate also includes:• Uncovered Gems – digging up undiscovered theatrical treasures, or plays whichwere considered major works when they were written but which have since been unjustly neglected• American Classics – we continue to celebrate the best of American theatre• Musicals – rarely-performed musical treats from the period of our mandate are re-discovered and returned to the stage• Canadian Work – to allow us to hear and promote our own stories, our own points of view about the mandate period.MEET THE COMPANY — OUR ENSEMBLE• Our Actors: All Shaw performers contribute to the sense of ensemble, much like the players in an orchestra. Often, smaller parts are played by actors who are leadingperformers in their own right, but in our “orchestra,” they support the central action helping to create a density of experiences that are both subtle and informative.• Our Designers: Every production that graces the Shaw Festival stages is built “from scratch,” from an original design. Professional designers lead teams who collaboratewith each production’s director to create set, costumes, and lighting designs thatcomplement the play’s text.• Our Music: Music played an important role in Bernard Shaw’s life – in fact, he wrote music criticism for several years under the pseudonym Corno di Bassetto. Just as the reach of musical theatre is vast and manifold, so is the Shaw’s approach - presenting Brecht, and Weill, Rodgers and Hart, and everything in between.

• Our Play Development: The Shaw’s play development programme goals include: 1) to develop new adaptations and translations that will tell classic stories in a contempo-rary way; 2) to produce new plays alongside those of Shaw, Chekhov, and Coward.GEORGE BERNARD SHAWAs Artistic Director Jackie Maxwell says, “We all know the man can talk, but BernardShaw is also one of the most prescient, provocative, sparklingly articulate writers inthe English language. His words and ideas, expressed in plays that are well-known,such as this season’s Mrs Warren’s Profession, or in plays that are not so familiar but no less interesting, have extraordinary relevance today. It is a joy to draw attention tothose ideas and bring them to life on our stages.”OUR THEATRES The Shaw Festival presents plays in three distinctive theatres. The Festival Theatrewith 856 seats is The Shaw’s flagship theatre; the historic Court House where TheShaw first began performing seats 327; and the Royal George Theatre, modeled after an Edwardian opera house, holds 328. THE SHAW’S COAT OF ARMSIn 1987, on the occasion of our 25th Anniversary, the Shaw Festival became only the second theatre company in the world to be granted aCoat of Arms by the College of Heralds. A large painted sculpture of ourCoat of Arms adorns the lobby of the Festival Theatre.


WHAT MAKES SHAW SPECIALFestival Theatre Court House Theatre Royal George Theatre

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The Players(listed in alphabetical order)

TheArtisticTeamSynopsisDirector……………………….JIM MEZON Designer………………………PETER HARTWELL Lighting Designer……………...KEVIN LAMOTTE Original Music……………...….PAUL SPORTELLI Arthur Birling………………..PETER HUTT Eric Birling…………………..ANDREW BUNKER

Sheila Birling…………………MOYA O’CONNELL Sybil Birling…………………..MARY HANEY Gerald Croft………………….GRAEME SOMERVILLE Edna………………………….ESTHER MALONEY Inspector Goole………………BENEDICT CAMPBELL A spring evening, 1912, and the prosperous Birling family has gatheredfor an intimate dinner. Their daughter’s engagement to a fine young man of means is the cause for celebration, but the festivities are interrupted when a police inspector unexpectedly calls. He is looking into the deathof a young woman, and as Inspector Goole questions each member of the family, skeletons come clattering out of the closet and a remarkable web of connections unfolds.

C ONNECTIONS Study Guide A practical, hands-on resource for the classroom which contains backgroundinformation for the play, suggested themes for discus-sion, and Ontario curriculum-based activities. Designed by educators and theatre profession-als, the activities and themes for discussion are organized in modules that can be used independently or interdependently according to the class level and time availability. An Inspector Calls isrecommended for students in grade 8 and higher.This guide was written and compiled by Rod Christensen and Amanda Tripp. Additional materials were provided by Joanna Falck, Peter

Hartwell, and Jim Mezon Cover: Ben Campbellwith members of the Ensemble Photo by Shin SuginoRunning Time: 2:30One intermission Previews April 17 Opens May 21 Closes November 2


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TheStoryAn Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley killed Eva Smith? That’s the question Inspector Goole wants answered when he calls on the Birling family one spring evening in 1912. The Birlings are in the midst of a celebration dinner. Their daughter Sheila has just become engaged to Gerald Croft, son of the president of Crofts Limited, and rival to Birling and Company. The Birlings are a prosperous family, one that

Priestley describes as “pleased with themselves”, and this impending marriage makes this one of the happiest nights of Arthur Birling’s life. Arthur is feeling particularly expansive on this night – it’s 1912 and to him, the progress he seeshappening in the world is cause for celebration. A new ship called the Titanic isabout to set sail, automobiles and airplanes are making travel easier, and this looming war that people keep talking about will never come to pass. “We can’t let these Bernard Shaws and H.G. Wellses do all the talking”, he tells his family, “Wehard-headed practical businessmen must say something sometime.” Then, we hear a ring at the door – an Inspector is calling and he says it’simportant. He enters the room and reveals some shocking news: “Two hours ago a young woman died in the Infirmary. She’d been taken there this afternoon be-cause she’d swallowed a lot of strong disinfectant … they did everything they could for her at the Infirmary, but she died. Suicide, of course.” What does this girl’s suicide have to do with this family? How could any of thembe responsible for her death? As Arthur Birling told the boys earlier in the evening, he doesn’t accept the idea that we are all responsible for one another. He believes that we need only take care of ourselves and of our own, “The way some of these cranks talk and write now, you’d think everybody has to look aftereverybody else, as if we were all mixed up together like bees in a hive – a commu-nity and all that nonsense.” As the Inspector begins to question the family, each member describes theirconnection to the dead woman. In doing so, they reveal how our actions towards one another can have long-lasting effects that we are often blissfully unaware of.And as more twists are revealed, the family learns more and more dark truthsabout themselves and each other and the line between innocence and guilt becomes more and more blurred.

” “ After all, y’know, we’re respectable citizens and not criminals.

(Gerald Croft)

Sometimes there isn’t as much dif-ference as you think. (Inspector Goole)


W ho

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Eva SmithThe dead woman.

Suicide? Inspector Goole Sent to investigate the suspected suicide of a young woman. Interrogates the Birling family and their guest, Gerald Croft. Sybil Birling President of Brumley Women’s Charity Organization. Wife to Arthur Birling and mother of Eric and Sheila. Rejected Eva Smith’s applica-tion for financial assistance.

Arthur BirlingWealthy capitalist. Head of the Birling family. Husband to Sybil Birling and father of Eric and Sheila. Fired his factory worker Eva Smith for demanding higher wages. Eric Birling Only son of Arthur and Sybil Birling. Brother to Sheila.

Sympathetic to the poor. Tends to over-indulge in alcohol.

Sheila Birling Daughter of Arthur and Sybil Birling. Sister to Eric. Devoted fiancée to Gerald Croft. Recently caused a commotion in local dress shop by hav-ing a young sales lady dismissed. Gerald Croft Heir to wealthy factory owners. Fiancée to Sheila Birling. Seem-ingly devoted to his fiancée.

Who’sWhoin An Inspector Calls?


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John Boynton Priestley (1894 — 1984)

Playwright Journalist Novelist Essayist Broadcaster Scriptwriter Man of LettersSocial commentator C ONNECTIONS Shaw Festival Study Guide

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The Pla

ywright J.B. Priestley was born in Bradford, in England’s industrial midlands. He was the son of a schoolteacher and grandson of a mill worker. He left school at age six-teen to work for a local wool merchant, and in 1914 enlisted in the army. In his subsequent writing, Priestley often drew on his wartime experiences and memo-ries of pre-war England. In 1919, Priestley spent three years at Cambridge, taking honours in English lit-erature, modern history, and political science. He initially wrote for such periodi-cals as The Bookman, The Spectator, and Saturday Review, and published books of es-says and criticism. As a fiction writer, he became a household name with The Good Companions (1929), a comic novel about an itinerant group of music-hall entertain-ers that sold almost a million copies in hardcover. This was quickly followed by another successful novel, Angel Pavement (1930). In 1931, Priestley collaborated on his first West End play, a dramatization of The Good Companions. Then came a series of original plays: thrillers (Dangerous Corner, 1932), comedies (Laburnum Grove, 1933), and nostalgic family dramas (Eden End, 1934). Priestley averaged a play a year through the 1930s, some of which explored new ideas and forms. His “time plays” for instance, Time and the Conways and I Have Been Here Before (both 1937), were conventional in form but experimental in their subject – the “fourth dimension” of time. In 1932 he founded his own company, the English Players, and directed more than thirty plays in his career. In 1938 he even acted in a West End production of his own play When We Are Married, replacing a leading actor who had been injured in a motorcycle accident. Perhaps it was then that I began to dislike audiences, enjoying rehearsalsof my plays but avoiding performances of them. In London especially,people giggle and guffaw too easily: they visit the theatre to be tickled. I always preferred if possible to open plays in the North, where they sat with tightened lips and narrowed eyes, grimly awaiting their money’s worth. (J.B. Priestley) During the war Priestley developed a new public role as a radio essayist, in which his common-sense views seemed emblematic of what was best in British middle-class values. In the 1940s and ‘50s he continued to write new plays in a variety of genres, including the popular drama An Inspector Calls (1945) and the family drama The Glass Cage (1957), written for Canada’s Davis family whom Priestley met while visiting Toronto. In the 1960s and ‘70s, while he continued to write in many forms, his best-known work was as a social historian, with such books as The Ed-wardians (1970) and The English (1973). A major chronicler of the twentieth cen-tury, Priestley wrote some thirty plays, 29 novels, and numerous collections of criticism, short stories, social history, reminiscences, and essays. His rich legacy of drama, fiction, and non-fiction continues to delight and provoke his audiences.


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Director’sNotes Jim Mezon talks about directing An Inspector Calls This production will follow a series of Priestley plays produced at the Shaw Festi-val, including Time and the Conways (2000), Eden End (1994), When We Are Married(1990) and Dangerous Corner (1988). An Inspector Calls was recently selected by Lon-don’s National Theatre as one of the “100 Plays of the Century”. The artistic team for this production includes director Jim Mezon and designerPeter Hartwell (set and costumes), who are known for their complex and often innovative approaches to theatre classics. Q: What’s your vision of the play?A: Within the family drama of J.B. Priestley’s play An Inspector Calls, is a condem-nation of capitalism, an examination of greed and the lust for power, and a heart-felt plea to care and take responsibility for every member of our society, including its dispossessed. Q: Who would you suggest as the ideal audience for your production? A: Everyone. Corporate leaders. The idle rich. The downtrodden. The curious. Students. Those who want to be reminded that we are our brother’s keepers. Q: Have you ever directed this playwright’s work before? A: No, but I’ve played the Inspector. Q: What do you find most interesting about this playwright? About the play?A: Like all Priestley’s work, the play is bold and many-faceted. It is a melodrama, a mystery, a piece of science fiction, a domestic drama, and a socialist tract. It

uses a dynamic plot and rich characters to drive home its central questions – are we responsible for each other? Can a small action have far reaching conse-quences? Can an individual make a difference in the world?Q: What do you want us to tell people about your work on this play? A: The challenge is to lift the play out of its precise time and location so that we are able to connect to it. We face the same social problems today. Global capital-ism has increased the gap between the rich and the poor. Rights are constantlythreatened. In Canada those who live on reservations experience third world pov-erty. Yet many would agree with Margaret Thatcher that there is no such thing as society. We bear no responsibility for each other. Q: How accessible will our production be for students and what do you want younger audience members to know about the play’s message and your direction? A: The play suggests that hope for the future lies in the next generation. If man-kind is to rise above its own history of greed and exploitation of its weakest mem-bers, it is the young who will point the way. We would be wise to nurture them,and to listen to them.


“ ” “

” We have toshare some-thing. If there’s nothing else, we’ll haveto share our guilt. (Inspector Goole)

There is no such thing as society. There are individual men and women.(MargaretThatcher)

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Designer’sNotes Peter Hartwell talks about designing An Inspector Calls Q: Can you describe your vision for An Inspector Calls? A: The production needs to be as quietly odd as the play is. It needs to be familiar but disturbingly so. Things are never what they seem to be. Q: Have you previously designed plays by J.B. Priestley? A: Yes. At the Shaw Festival. The production of Eden End at the Court House in

1994. I thought it was cool then but I have no idea what I’d make of it now. Q: What do you find most striking about An Inspector Calls?A: It’s neither “a who dunnit” nor a psychological thriller. Depending on the audience member you talk to, they’ll see it one way or the other. The playwright has cleverly gauged this. Q: What do you want audience members to know about your design? A: [It will involve], like the play, the passing of time and changing perspectives.

C ONNECTIONS Shaw Festival Study Guide Costume designs by Peter Hartwell. Right: Inspector Goole Bottom, left to right: Mr Birling, Mrs Birling, Sheila Birling

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Production History Because of the lack of a suitable theatre in early post-war London, An Inspector Calls was first performed in Moscow by the Kamerny and Leningrad Theatre Companies in simultaneous productions. It opened on August 6, 1945, the day the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. The English premiere was in Manchester, where it opened at the Opera House on September 9, 1946 for a brief tryout before moving to the New Theatre in London on October 1, 1946. Despite a cast featuring Julien Mitchell, Alec Guiness, Ralph Richardson, andMargaret Leighton, it ran for only forty-one performances. The American pre-miere was at the Booth Theatre, New York, on October 21, 1947, where,directed by Cedric Hardwicke, it ran for ninety-five performances. The firstCanadian production was at the Canadian Repertory Theatre, Ottawa, on October 11, 1949, directed by Malcolm Morley.It was a 1992 revival by the National Theatre in London that gave An Inspector Calls its classic status. Directed by Stephen Daldry, the production opened at the Lyttleton Theatre on September 11, 1992, and then ran more or less continuously

at various London theatres for the next decade. The National’s productionopened at the Royale Theatre in New York on April 27, 1994, where it ran for 454 performances and won several Tonys, including Best Revival. A film version was released in 1954, starring Alastair Sim as Inspector Goole.This is the second Shaw Festival production of An Inspector Calls. The first was in 1989 at the Royal George Theatre and (post-season) at the Annenberg Theatre Center, Philadelphia, directed by Tony van Bridge. Four other Priestley playshave been produced at the Festival: Dangerous Corner (1988), When We Are Married(1990), Eden End (1994), and Time and the Conways (2000).Left & Centre: An Inspector Calls(National Theatre’s production posters) Right: An Inspector Calls movie poster, 1954


Page 1111 Left: radio circa. 1910, Wright plane(1903), Titanic (1912), Ford Model A (1903)

The World of the PlayTitanic sinks.

Clockwise: Albert Einstein, H.G. Wells, King Edward VII, G.B. Shaw1899Boer War begins.1901Death ofQueen Victoria;succeededbyEdwardVII (Edwardian Era begins). 1903Bolshevik Party founded. First flight ofthe Wright plane Henry Ford carassemblyline. First baseball World Series. 1905Russo-Japanese War;

revolutionin Russia.1910Germany invades Belgium.World War Icommences. Death ofEdward VII; succeededbyGeorgeV. 19121914

The Edwardian EraAn Inspector Calls takes place at the end of the Edwardian era. This era corresponds to the reign of King Edward the VII (1901-1910). In his book, The Edwardians,J.B. Priestley defines this period as being from 1901 to the outbreak of WWI (1914). Often referred to as England’s “goldenage,” the Edwardian era was a time ofrelative peace because it was situated between the second South African War(between the British and the descendantsof the Dutch settlers, which is commonly known as the Boer War, 1899 - 1902)and World War I. It was also a time of great technological advance-ments, exciting new ideas and inventions like the radio, the airplane, theage of the great ocean liners, and Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. It was

a period of outstanding achievement in the arts (e.g., G.B. Shaw, H.G. Wells, silent movies, and Ragtime) as well as a time of intense politicalactivity and social controversy. The wealthy lived extravagantly while the poor lacked all kinds of resources and were denied basic rights. This created vast disparity between the classes and the sexes. An Inspector Calls deals with the tail-end of the Edwardian period, which can be characterized by socialunrest. The crisis of extreme poverty in the midst of towering wealth became impossible to ignore. It was a time of protests, factory strikes,and lockouts. Unemployment threatened the economy and rising inter-est in socialism threatened the capitalist system on which society rested. Attention was being paid to women’s suffrage issues and the plight of the poor. Women, the working class and their sympathizers found theirvoices and began the fight for social justice. . Edwardian upper classEdwardian working class


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The World of the PlaySocial Unrest

The Status of WomenIn the Edwardian Era, women were regarded very differently from men in the eyes of society and the law. Women received a different education, they had fewer rights, and prior to 1918 were not able to vote in national elections. Marriage wasconsidered a woman’s ‘career’. If a woman did not marry, her life was considered to be a failure. In 1901, 85 per cent of women over 45 were either married or wid-owed, and marriage was the ‘career’ of the majority of British women until the 1960s. What was life in 1912 like for a woman that didn’t marry? Unless she camefrom a wealthy family that could support her, she would have to work. Women earned less than men for performing similar work and most working-class men only took home subsistence-level wages. This meant that a single working woman and her children would have lived in extreme deprivation and poverty. Pregnancy out of wedlock was a very serious matter. There was no social security or National Health Service, and if a woman had no family to support her, shewould likely end up at the workhouse or be forced into prostitution to survive. This would have been the grim future facing Eva Smith in An Inspector Calls.From a report on workhouse conditions (Women’s Local Government Society,1909): … Mrs Evans suspected that the ophthalmia and ringworm...spread because fifty-six girls bathed in one tub of water, shared half a dozentowels, five dirty brushes, and two broken combs between them. Anotherworkhouse found two small hand basins for 120 and WCs without paper … Dunmore in 1904 swarmed with rats…[and] still sleeping on the floor. Louisa Twining found euphemistically described ‘dust heaps’ and stained and dirty linen lying around the wards” (Hattersley, p.132, 133).

Women's Suffrage Movement Women did not possess the political rights to bring aboutdemocratic change in society. Women had rebelled against the injustice of their status as second-class citizens for a long time, but the 1903 Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) was quite unlike any of the women’s organizations to campaign for the vote that had come before it. The WSPU’s motto was “deeds not words.” Members of the WSPU were known as “Suffragettes” – and they lived up to their motto. Militant action was the means by which they planned to achieve their goal. To this end, they vandalized public property, threw eggs, chained themselves to railings, were imprisoned, and some even went on hunger strikes. One suffragette, Emily Davison, ran out in front of the King’s horse during the Derby in June 1913 and was killed while campaigning for the suffra-gette cause. Their campaigning would not have results until after the First World War. In the Representation of the People Act of 1918, all women over 30 were given the right to vote.


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Social & Political Issues The Role of GovernmentIn the late 19th

century, the British had a laissez-faire government – a system of government that upheld the principle of the autonomy of its citizens and economy as well as non-interference in their affairs. The role of government in the lives of its citizens was very limited and did not include taking responsibility for its poor. There were no old age pensions, unemployment benefits, family allowances or health care plans. As a result, an individual without work could easily find themselves and their families plunged into dire poverty. It was com-monly believed that poverty was a condition the poor brought upon themselves as a result of their own moral shortcomings (such as idleness or drunkenness).

Changing Attitudes Towards PovertyLow wages were a feature of Edwardian England. A survey entitled How the Labourer Lives conducted in 1913 revealed that, with very few exceptions, the average earnings in every county in England and Wales were below the poverty line. Even the thrifti-est of families struggled to make ends meet. People began to question the commonly held notion that poverty was a problem the poor created for themselves. Evidence suggested that poverty was more likely caused by the economic organization of society than byan individual’s lack of moral character.

Money and PowerAn Inspector Calls reflects on England’s class system in the early 20th

century. A tremendous amount of wealth was concentrated in the hands of a few. The gap between the rich and poor was increasing in the years leading up to WWI. “In Great Britain about 4.93 per cent of the persons over 25 years of age possessedover 60% of the wealth in 1911–13” (Economic History of Europe, p. 671). In 1912, government social assistance to an impoverished person such as the character of Eva Smith was not available. The poor depended on the wealthy fortheir wages and on their charity when they were in need. The wealthy determinedwho was deserving and undeserving of their help. An Inspector Calls asks us to consider the relationships between wealth,power, and responsibility. Mr Birling fires Eva from his factory for asking for higher wages; Sheila

threatens to close down the family’s account at Milward’s unless Eva is fired; Mrs Birling refuses Eva the charity that she is in desperate need of. An Inspector Calls poses important questions: Who is responsible for the plight of the poor? The poor themselves? The economic system? The upper class? The government?

“ ” The way some of these cranks talk now...you’d think everybody has to look after everybody else, as if we were all mixed up together like bees in a hive (Arthur Birling)

The W

orld of the PlayC ONNECTIONS Shaw Festival Study Guide

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The World of the PlaySocial & Political Issues Capitalism vs Socialism In the 1930s Priestley became increasingly concerned about social problems. For example,An Inspector Calls upholds the notion that in 1912, a sense of community (at least one that was equi-

table) did not exist in pre-war England. Accord-ing to Priestley, a change from a self-servingsociety to a community-based one was needed.Political forces as well as personal perspectivesrequired greater social and economic balance.For Priestley, the Birling family represent the vices of the Edwardian upper class. The Birlings give little care to others and exude a social façadewhich, if uncovered, will expose their personal flaws and ill treatment of those whom they consider lower class. In contrast to the Birlings is Inspector Goole. Goole represents the socially conscious; the power and ideals of socialism.Through Goole’s scrutiny, the inherent weakness of the capitalist system is re-vealed and the Birling household is forced to examine its actions of self-interest versus social responsibility. Priestley advocates that the ideals of socialism can relieve England of its social and political shortcomings. The moral imperative: actions have consequences.

Labour Movement The labour movement refers to the activities and objectives of an organization of workers who join together to campaign for better treatment from their employ-ers and political governments. Typically, governing wages, benefits, and im-proved work conditions are achieved through the implementation of agreed upon laws and governing labour relations (i.e., a collective agreement or labour contract). The development of unions (labour and trade) have grown to repre-sent the interests of the working class. The trade union movement experienced substantial growth and support in 1910 to 1912. There was increasing demand to take action against starvation wages and a need to regulate the conditions of working class labour. There were genuine concerns that if wages and living con-ditions were not improved, workers might turn to communism or rebellion. Socialism, aimed to establish a socio-economic system in which wealth and assets are distributed equitably by the community, became a popular ideology. As portrayed by the character EvaSmith in An Inspector Calls, the working class were motivated tochange the political and social power structure that favoured the wealthy and neglected the poor. US newspaper highlights tension between capitalism & working class (1906 ) Edwardian general strike Edwardian crusade


Dramatic Devices An Inspector Calls promotes the virtues of socialism – a society in which commu-nity and responsibility are central – and exposes the vices of capitalism. J.B.Priestley uses many dramatic devices, such as dramatic irony and symbolism, to effectively convey this political message throughout the play.

Dramatic Irony A dramatic device that allows the audience to have greater knowledge of charac-ters and events than the characters do; giving words and events a different meaning for the audience than they have for the characters. Early in the play, Mr Birling makes several bold and (as we know) untrue statements: that the Titanic is“absolutely unsinkable”; that “there isn’t a chance of war,” and that in the future there will be “peace and prosperity … everywhere.” Of course, the audience,living in the future knows better! Within two years of Mr Birling’s speech the Titanic sinks and World War I begins. Priestley’s use of dramatic irony shows the audience what none of the characters in the world of the play can know: that Birling is wrong on many counts. Priestley ridicules Birling and, through dramaticirony, exposes the arrogance and ignorance of the Birling family who represent the folly of capitalism.

Morality Plays Common in late Medieval Europe, morality plays were allegories in dramaticform. The characters were given “label names” such as Death, Beauty, Kindred,Good Deeds, and Knowledge which personified the vices and virtues of society.These plays were meant to be morally instructive for the audience and focused on the struggle between good and evil. Aspects of the morality play continue tobe popular with some playwrights. Some Priestley plays have been referred to asmodern morality plays, which adopt the sensibilities of moral imperatives.

SymbolismThe practice of representing things by means of symbols or of attributingsymbolic significance to objects, events, relationships, and expressing the invisi-ble by means of visible representations. Symbolism can also be used to reveal orsuggest intangible conditions or truths by artistic invention. For example, the name Inspector Goole is a play on words which can represent “Spectre Ghoul.”

Time PlaysJ.B. Priestley’s Time Plays refer to a series of plays he wrote during the 1930s and ‘40s using various theories about time as central theatrical devices. The lives of the characters are affected by the temporal landscape they encounter. For example, An Inspector Calls centers on an investigation concerning a suicide which plays with future and past timeframes within real time (action occurring as in real life). Additional time plays by Priestley include: Dangerous Corner (1932), Time and the Conways (1937), I Have Been Here Before (1937), and Johnson Over Jordan (1939). Of all the theories invoked in Priestley’s Time Plays, the only one fully embraced

by Priestley was J.W. Dunne’s theory of simultaneous time. This time theory wasincorporated into the play, Time and the Conways.

The World of the PlayC ONNECTIONS Shaw Festival Study Guide

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Man of Words Priestley wrote more than100 novels, plays, and essays, and coined the term admass: mass media advertising; also: the society influenced by it.

Man of Letters Priestley refused both knighthood and peerage, but accepted the prestigious Order of Merit in 1977.The Order of Merit is awarded for excep-tional service to the Crown or for the advancement of arts, learning, law, and

literature. It is one of the rarest of honours. Its membership is restricted to 24 members of the Commonwealth at any one time, plus additional foreign recipients. To date, there have only been 168 Ordinary Members of the Order. As a result, the list of holders reads like a roll-call of some of the greatest thinkers and doers of the twentieth century and includes: Florence Nightingale, Winston Churchill, and Lester B. Pearson.

J.B.Priestley Political Activist In 1941, Priestley helped estab-lish the socialist Common Wealth Party. The party advo-cated three principles: Common Ownership, Vital Democracy, and Morality in Politics. The Common Wealth Party was dissolved in 1945 and most members joined the Labour Party. In the early stages of the Cold War, Priestley was also known for his support for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. In 1946-47, he was a UKdelegate to the UNESCO conferences.

Psychic?Priestley’s interest in time theories andincorporation of these theories into his dramatic works stemmed from his own experience of precognitive dreaming - “remembering” future events in his dreams. Many of his plays involve unusual per-spectives on time. An Inspector Calls takes place in real time, meaning that events in the play happen at the same speed they would in real life.

Voice of the

Common Man During WWII, Priestley was a regular broadcaster on BBC radio. His Sunday night “Postscripts” drew a large audience - second only in popularity to Winston Churchill. Priestley’s talks were cancelled due to complaints that Priestley was expressing left-wing views over the radio waves.

Did You Know? C ONNECTIONS Shaw Festival Study Guide

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Glossary AldermanOne of the members, chosen by the elected councilors, in a municipality, borough or county council or the chief magistrate of a country, or group of countries. BuffTo soften the surface of (leather) by raising a soft or fuzzy surface. Capitalism

An economic system in which the means of production and distribution are privately or corporately owned and development is proportionate to the accumula-tion and reinvestment of profits gained in a free market. Drawing-roomA formal reception room, especially in an apartment or private house. KaiserAny of the emperors of the Holy Roman Empire (962-1806), of Austria (1806-1918), or of Germany (1871-1918). A person who exercises or tries to exercise absolute authority; autocrat. KnighthoodThe rank, dignity, or vocation of a knight or behaviour or qualities befitting a knight; chivalry. Lord Mayor(Chiefly in Britain and the Commonwealth) The mayor of certain cities or the chief municipal officer of certain boroughs. OfficiousMarked by excessive eagerness in offering unwanted services or advice to others: an officious host; officious attention. Potty(Chiefly British) Informal for slightly insane; eccentric; paltry; trifling; or petty. RubbishWorthless, unwanted material that is rejected or thrown out (e.g., writing, art,litter). Socialism Any of various theories or systems of social organization that aims to establish a socio-economic system in which wealth and assets are owned and distributedequitably by the community. SquiffyA slang expression for slightly drunk.

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Sources Books & Articles Clough, Bancroft, S. & Woolsey C. (1952). Economic History of Europe. Boston: D.C. Heath and Company. Hattersley, R. (2004). The Edwardians. London: Little Brown. Priestley, J.B. (1970). The Edwardians. New York: Harper & Row. Vaizey, J. (1980). Capitalism & Socialism: A History of Industrial Growth. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson. Skloot, R. (Dec., 1970). The Time Plays of J.B. Priestley. Quarterly Journal of Speech, 56(4), 426-31.

Websiteswww.pbs.org/manorhouse/edwardianlife http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/education/bitesize/higher/history/liberal/motives_rev.shtml http://www.learningcurve.gov.uk/britain1906to1918/ http://www.ciao.co.uk/An_Inspector_Calls_J_B_Priestley__Review_5560877 http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Jpriestley.htm http://www.gradesaver.com/classicnotes/titles/inspector/essay1.html http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/page1880.asphttp://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/english_literature/dramainspectorcalls/ http://www.universalteacher.org.uk/drama/inspectorcalls.htm http://www.newi.ac.uk/englishresources/workunits/ks4/fiction/inspectorcalls/pwsow1.pdf http://www.taproottheatre.org/Docs/ICStudyGuide.pdf


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Pre-performance

Classroom ActivitiesTheme 1: Dramatic devices can enhance the plot Let’s examine the title of the play, An Inspector Calls. In groups of 3-4: • Write some meanings for the verb “inspect” in the map below. • Think of 2-4 tasks that an inspector does when she/he is called to investigate a scene.If you were the person being inspected, what would that mean? • Identify 2-4 tools used to gather information during the WWI era (e..g., magnifying glass) and 2-4 methods used today (e.g., DNA testing).• Sherlock Holmes is a famous fictional character of the early 20th

century. Can you name some other famous investigators of the past or present? • From the discussion points above, add applicable information to the map.As a class:• Brainstorm ideas about what you think the play is about. For example, what style or genre is this play? Do you think it’s a drama, comedy, cabaret, mystery, musical? ACTIVITYThe following pages suggest questions and activities students might explore BEFORE attending An Inspector Calls.Activities relate to Ministry of Education expectations for the Arts and Character Education at the junior, intermediate, and senior levels. To obtain Ontario Curriculum documents, visit www.edu.gov.on.ca

INSPECT


Warm up

Page 2020 Elements of suspense, surprise, and secrets are included the play’s following stage directions: He moves nearer a light – perhaps standard lamp – and she crosses to him. He produces the photograph. She looks at

it closely, recognizes it with a little cry, gives a half-stifled sob, and then runs out. The INSPECTOR puts the photo-graph back into his pocket and stares speculatively after her. The other three stare in amazement for a moment. In groups of 5: • Brainstorm ideas about the photo described in the above passage. • What do you think the character sees and why does she run out?. • Create a frozen tableau that depicts the details of the photo. Preliminary decisions to make: • Who is in the photo?• What is happening in the photo (i.e., what action is taking place)?• Where is the photo taken (i.e., where is the location)? • Why is this action being executed in the photo?• How is secrecy involved? • Rehearse 3x. For each rehearsal, include elements of suspense & surprise. • Each group presents their tableau to the class. An Inspector Calls is a play that questions the morals of socialism and capitalism by examining individ-ual responsibility to the community. Throughout the play, a political message is conveyed through avariety of devices such as dramatic irony and symbolism. On your own, use the internet or a literary source to research the following terms: 1) Socialism: ___________________________________________________________________________2) Capitalism: ___________________________________________________________________________ 3) Dramatic Irony: ___________________________________________________________________________ 4) Morality Play: ___________________________________________________________________________ 5) Symbolism: ___________________________________________________________________________ RESEARCH

An Inspector Calls is a complex mystery with a surprising twist. Skeletons comeclattering out of the closet when a police inspector questions the Birling family about theirinvolvement in a mysterious death. Suspense, surprise, and secrets are used to expose a remark-able web of connections.Suspense is a device used to build tension through atmosphere and mood; it is a state or condition of mental uncertainty, excitement, or anxiety which is intended to emotionally involve the audience. Surprise is a device that relies on sudden unexpected events to intensify the mood sharply for a brief period of time. Surprise elicits sudden feelings of wonder or astonishment. Secrets are kept hidden from others or known only to oneself or to a few. A secret can also besomething that remains beyond anyone’s understanding or explanation (e.g., a mystery). ACTIVITY


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Theme 2:Events can be judged from multiple perspectivesPriestley incorporates the use of multiple perspectives throughout his play. Make sure to take note ofthese varying perspectives when you attend the live performance. After reading the above dilemmas: • Each person selects at random a white, yellow, black, red, or green thinking hat (see perspective and characteristics for each coloured hat on page 22). • Find a partner with the same coloured hat. • Discuss the moral dilemma with your partner(s) by applying the perspective of your assigned hat;identify possible pros, cons, problems, and actions. • Share your thoughts and opinions with the class. Is one perspective better than another? For these dilemmas, which hat(s) make(s) most sense?

C ONNECTIONS

Shaw Festival Study Guide

Dilemma #1: James, a senior high school student, was unable to study for a final chemistry exam because of a family dispute at home. He needs a good mark to get into university. The chemistry teacher has saidthat only a doctor’s certificate will allow students to miss the exam. In his opinion, James can eithercheat on the exam or not get into university. Dilemma #2: Nicole, a grade 12 student, was missing her boyfriend Mike who moved away to attend his first year of university. In an attempt to bring Mike back into her day-to-day life, Nicole decided to stop tak-ing her birth control pills and became pregnant. When Nicole told Mike of her pregnancy, Mike decided to quit school, move back to his hometown, and marry Nicole. They now live together with their newborn baby. Nicole told her two close friends about what she did. Nicole’s friend, Morgan, also has a boyfriend who has recently moved away. Yesterday, Morgan asked Nicole if she should get pregnant to secure her boyfriend’s attention and affections. Within our day-to-day activities, we face various dilemmas, which can be interpreted in many ways. Read the two dilemmas below and discuss multiple points of view using Edward de Bono’s Thinking Hats. E. de Bono is a British physician, author, inventor, and consultant who has specialized in creative and lateral thinking techniques. DISCUSSION

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DISCUSSIONCont’d Arts education researchers, like Monica Prendergast, have examined the role of audience-in-performance. The questions below allow students to explore multiple perspectives about participat-ing in the live theatre experience before attending the play. 1. As an audience member, what do I bring to the live theatre experience? What are my roles and functions in the performance?2. How have we as a class prepared for the play (e.g., studying the play’s themes/styles/genre)? 3. How do the lobby display(s), house program, pre-show lighting, sound, and set design help

prepare the audience for the performance?4. What are the appropriate social codes of conduct in a theatre? (For Tips on Theatre Etiquette visit www.shawfest.com/web/content.asp?docid=12_2_0_4). DISCUSSIONHatPerspectiveCharacteristicsObjectiveSees information in a logical manner; factualBenefitsSees the positive; the good and bright side of thingsJudgmentSees the problems; identifies what could be betterIntuitiveSees things with an emotional appeal, expressive with feelingsCreativeSees alternatives and creates ideas, possibilities


THE THINKING HATS

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Theme 3:Self-interests should be balanced with social responsibilityIn pairs: • Brainstorm and discuss some known adages. • Choose an adage listed below or use one of your own. 1. What goes around, comes around. 7. United we stand; divided we fall. 2. Don’t worry, be happy.8. If there’s a will, there’s a way. 3. Learn from your mistakes. 9. An apple a day keeps the doctor away.4. False friends are worse than open enemies. 10. The early bird catches the worm.5. Safety first! 11. Don’t drink and drive. 6. Hindsight is 20/20. 12. No pain, no gain.

Embedded in Theme 3 is the idea that actions have consequences. As we know, actions have physical or social outcomes that involve positive or negative consequences. Our North American culture uses various adages (common sayings) that advise us to behave in positive or negative ways, which in turn, result in positive or negative consequences. ACTIVITYPlace the adage in the flow chart below and work your way through the chart to a final outcome. In groups of 3-4: • Based on the flowchart exercise, build a scene that illustrates a consequence of action that might transpire at school. • Assign roles: 1-2 will execute action; 1-2 will receive action and experience the consequence. • Create a beginning (which introduces the characters, setting, and leads up to the action); a mid-dle (where the action is executed); and an end (which depicts the consequence). • Present your scene to the class. • As a class, discuss similarities and differences among the scenes. (e.g., What caused the conse-quence? Who was affected?) Adage: (

+)consequence or outcome:Choice of behavior:


Action:(

-) consequence or outcome:

Page 2424 The following pages suggest questions and activities students might explore AFTER attending An Inspector Calls.Activities relate to Ministry of Education expectations for the Arts and Character Education at the junior, intermediate, and senior levels. To obtain Ontario Curriculum documents, visit www.edu.gov.on.ca

At the beginning of the play, Priestley incorporates dramatic irony when Mr Birling states that “there isn’t a chance of war.” With the play set before WWI but published in 1945 (after two world wars), Priestley positions Birling in a foolish light. In his final speech, Inspector Goole accentuatesthis dramatic irony by foreshadowing World War I with, “they will be taught it in fire and blood andanguish.” This encourages the audience to believe the views supported by the Inspector instead of the foolish views of Mr Birling. In pairs: • Reference your pre-performance definition of dramatic irony. • Find another example of dramatic irony in the play (e.g., comments about the “absolutely unsinkable” ship). • Share your example with the class. • How does your example use dramatic irony? Why is it ironic? For example, would initial audiences in 1945 have known that the Titanic hit an iceberg and sank when Mr Birling men-tions that the new luxury liner is “absolutely unsinkable”? As a class: • J.B. Priestley was known for his theories on the passing of time and its effects on changing perspectives. Time theories became theatrical devices in Priestley’s Time Plays. Using the internet or a literary source, find out more about Priestley’s Time Plays. • Name a TV series or films that rely on dramatic irony or time as part of their appeal?In groups of 3-4: Explore the symbolism in the play using the following starting points: 1) The opening stage directions state, “the lighting should be pink and intimate until the Inspector arrives, and then it should be brighter and harder.” • What effect does “pink and intimate” lighting achieve? • When the Inspector arrives, why do you think the lighting changes? • What symbolic use is made of lighting in the opening of the play? 2) Which character(s) symbolize capitalism? Which one(s) represent(s) socialism? 3) Examine Inspector Goole’s name. Do you notice any play on words? • Do you think the playwright purposely chose a character name that sounds like ‘Spectre Ghoul’?

• Who exactly is the Inspector? • Why did Goole visit the Birlings on that particular night – a night of special celebration?DISCUSSION


Post-performance Classroom ActivitiesTheme 1: Dramatic devices can enhance the plot RESEARCH

Page 2525 Morality plays often use names as labels of behavior or character (e.g., “Greed”). On your own or with a partner: Research how were label names (also known as archetypes) used in morality plays? • Inspector Goole acts as a messenger who attempts to warn and guide the Birling household. His manner is mysterious and, at times, mischievous. Some famous literary characters share some similarities to Goole. • Use the internet or a literary source to research Jacob Marley, a character Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and the Greek god Hermes. • Fill in the chart below to compare Marley, Hermes, and Goole. Opposite to living a good or moral life is living a life of sin. In the Middle Ages, sins that led to damnation were referred to as the “Seven Deadly Sins.” Identify and define the seven sins. In pairs: • Using a suitable “deadly sin,” rename the following characters in the play by filling in the chart below. RESEARCHCHARACTER“DEADLY SIN”REASON

Inspector GooleMr BirlingMrs BirlingEric BirlingSheila BirlingGerald CroftEva SmithACTIVITY


Jacob Marley Greek god HermesInspector Goole

Page 2626 cont’dIn small groups: • Create a tableau depicting the deadly sin names of characters on the previous page. (Each person in the group selects one character from the list). • Create one line of dialogue for your character that relates to events from the play. These lines will be spoken, one at a time, from within the tableau. • Decide the order in which the lines will be spoken. • Decide on an action to accompany each line. • As a group, incorporate into your actions high, medium, and low body levels. • Begin with the group tableau. (The tableau remains in place while each character performs the line and action.) • Rehearse the lines and actions inside the tableau.• Present your group work to the class.• Discuss each group’s choices (e.g., Are the choices clear and suitable? What are the similarities and differences between each presentation?).

Theme 2:Events can be judged from multiple perspectives

In pre-war England, many young, working class women (like Eva Smith) experienced a lack of power and privilege. On your own: • Use the internet or a literary source to research upper and lower class life in the BritishEdwardian Era. RESEARCHACTIVITYcont’d


Do we still deal with the issues of class distinction today? • As a class, discuss what the modern day sayings below mean. Why do these sayings exist? • Can any more sayings be added? high brow low brow high-end low-end A-list D-list white trash blue collar white collar uptown girl from the other side of the tracks the crème de la crème bottom of the barrel _________ _________ _________ DISCUSSION

Page 2727 Below are quotations from the play and comments which express some of the character’s perspec-tives and playwright’s central themes. Match each quotation to one of the following comment boxes.A: “We don't live alone. We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other.” B: “I think it was simply a piece of gross impertinence – quite deliberate – and naturally that was one of the things that prejudiced me against her case.” C: “We often do [make an impact] on the young ones. They’re more impressionable.” D: “Public men, Mr Birling, have responsibilities as well as privileges.”

Answers: 1:B; 2:C; 3:A; 4:D 1. Mrs Birling is responsible for rejecting the application for assistance that Eva submitted tothe Brumley Women’s Charity Organization, an act that leaves Eva desperate and destitute. In front of the committee, Mrs Birling displays prejudice against Eva. Her social position as a member of the upper class is above that ofEva’s. Mrs Birling enjoys her position of power and privilege and does not feel ashamed about her unfair treatment of Eva.Answer:2. Inspector Goole tells Mrs Birling that hiswork influenced Sheila and Eric, the younger generation. As the play progresses, the youngermembers of the family develop a sense of moral conscience and express remorse for their ac-tions. On the other hand, Mr and Mrs Birling do not accept any responsibility for their actions and refuse to be blamed. The younger characters see the errors of their family and want to make things better. The message: “Future generations will learn from the mistakes of the past.”Answer:3. Just before his final exit, Inspector Goole emphasizes the moral lesson that we are allconnected and must share social responsibilities and care for one another; to “do unto otherswhat we would have them do unto us.” If we don’t – there will be grave consequences.Answer:4. Mr Birling protects his own interests and feelsno responsibility for others. The Inspectorreminds Birling that without the labour of the working classes his business would not have succeeded. The irony is that Birling mistreats and ignores the very people he has relied upon for his success.Answer:ACTIVITY


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In groups of 6: • Determine the attitudes of upper class characters to the lower class, represented by Eva Smith. • Assume one character role per person. • Fill in the chart from left to right. The final task in the last column provides a voice for Eva. • Once the chart and Eva’s responses are complete, all characters except Eva will sit in a circle. Eva will stand in the middle of the circle. • As a group, decide the order of each character’s line. In-role, deliver each line to Eva. • After each line, the student playing Eva will face each character and respond with a composedresponse. • Present group work to class. •

Note: Compositions for column 4 and 5 can be created as a group. Upper class character… Character’s line from the play… Based on each line, what is the character’s attitude toward the lower class? *Optional: In first person, write the follow-ing statements to Eva. Compose a response for Eva. Mr Birling “She was one of my employees and then discharged her…. obviously it has nothing whatever to do with the wretched girl’ssuicide.” Eva’s letter of

dismissal. Mrs Birling “…a girl of that sort would never refuse money.” Eva’s notice ofrejection for finan-cial assistance from the Brumley Women’s Associa-tionEric Birling “Why shouldn't they try for higher wages? We try for the highest possible prices…. You said yourself she was a good worker.”A petition or letter of support which outlines the plight of Eva and the factory workers. Sheila Birling “Yes, but it didn'tseem to be any-thing very terrible at the time. Don't you understand?” A complaint letterto Milward’s shop describing Eva’s ‘poor’ customer service. Gerald Croft “I became at once the most important person in her life…. I didn’t feel about her as she felt about me.”A final letter to Eva that ends theiraffair.

ACTIVITY


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29 The twist at the end of An Inspector Calls happens when Mr Birling receives a telephone call from the police station. When Birling hangs up the phone, he proclaims, “That was the police. A girl has just died – on her way to the Infirmary – after swallowing some disinfectant. A police inspec-tor is on his way here to ask some questions.” Create an alternative ending to the play… After the second police inspector arrives at the Birling home, imagine that the members of the household are asked to travel with the officer back to the police station for questioning. They are subjected to another battery of questions surrounding the suicide. To add to the information gathered from the Birling family, character witnesses are brought in. Student volunteers assume one of the character witnesses below. Create a name for each character.• In-role, each character witness sits in the front of the classroom while the rest of the class act as the police force. • The class prepare questions for each character witness. Questions should pertain to the events of the unsolved crime and/or the alleged actions of the Birlings as well as Gerald Croft. • Based on the responses of each character witness and by examining the actual characters/events in the play, complete the next activity. In groups of 3-4: • Discuss characters from the play to determine who was most responsible for Eva’s death. On your own: • In-role as a Junior Detective, write a police report based on the evidence gathered in class and from the play itself. The report should explain who you think is to blame for Eva’s circum-stances and death. Include the characters’ motives, actions, and consequences.

Theme 3:Self-interests should be balanced with social responsibilityAn Inspector Calls deals with consequences of actions related to individual and communal responsibility. Because Priestley wrote this play after WWII, we are judging the middle class values of 1912 in the light of post-war morality.

ACTIVITYACTIVITYCharacter Witness: For: Secretary Mr Birling Member of the Women’s Charity Organization Mrs Birling Close friend Eric Birling Employee at Milward’s clothing shop Sheila Birling Relative Gerald Croft


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An Inspector Calls STUDY GUIDE RESPONSE SHEET To help us understand the needs and expectations of teachers regarding study guides, please complete thisresponse sheet and mail to: Shaw Festival, Education Dept. P.O. Box 774, Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON L0S 1J0 or email to: [email protected] I:Have you ever used a Shaw Study Guide? YES _____ NO ______ If no, please indicate below the reason(s) for not using a Shaw study guide. Lack of time _____Lack of interest _____ Not applicable or appropriate _____Did not receive a study guide _____ Did not know that guides were available online or sent to school groups who book a play _____Other _____ If yes, did The Shaw study guide help you and your students? YES _____ NO _____ Please indicate which component(s) of The Shaw study guide you found most and/or least useful. Most useful Least useful The Synopsis & Story _____ Who’s Who in the Play _____ The Playwright _____Director's & Designer’s Notes _____Production History _____The World of the Play (historical background, articles) _____Did You Know?/Theatre Terms (trivia & definitions) _____Additional Sources _____Classroom Activities _____

Part II:The study guide is helpful to me as a teacher.Strongly agree ___ Agree ___ Neutral ___ Disagree ___ Strongly disagree ___ The content of the study guide is well-balanced. Strongly agree ___ Agree ___ Neutral ___ Disagree ___ Strongly disagree ___ The format for the study guide is engaging. Strongly agree ___ Agree ___ Neutral ___ Disagree ___ Strongly disagree ___ Part III:Please include suggestions for improving the Shaw Festival study guides. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


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